FAIRMONT, W.Va. — One Dirty Girl isn’t taking the cancellation of this weekend’s 5K event sitting down. Robyn Danford, an attorney from Fairmont, said she’s already taken action against the company.

The Dirty Girl Mud Run posted on Facebook Wednesday, the Charleston 5K had been canceled due to “circumstances out of our control.” Those circumstances involved the company refusing to pay for buses to transport participants to the site, port-a-potties and site remediation after the run.

Danford and a group of her friends took part in a Dirty Girl Mud Run in Pennsylvania last year. She said they signed up for this year’s event almost immediately after.

“We had a really good time and enjoyed it and wanted to do it again,” explained Danford.

Her group was set to hit the course at 8 a.m. Saturday, so she booked a hotel room Friday night in Charleston and was looking forward to the event. That was until she got word Monday that the run might not take place.

“It didn’t even occur to me that if they canceled it, that they would also try to keep our money!”

But that’s what happened Wednesday when the company took to Facebook to say there would be no refunds.

“When that came to light, I was furious,” said Danford. “I did read their policy. I don’t sign things without reading it. Their language is very clear that they reserve the right to cancel if there’s a natural disaster, dangerous conditions, things outside their control. Nothing about that statement in any way indicated they would cancel it because they chose not to secure their venue and then keep everybody’s money. As far as I’m concerned that’s fraud! I was very, very angry.”

Danford tried to contact the Dirty Girl Mud Run offices but never got any response. That’s when she took action.

“I went to my bank (Wednesday), disputed the charges. They are planning to issue a credit to my account in the next few days and my bank is going to take it up with them,” said Danford. “I also filed complaints with the (state) Attorney General’s office and the Better Business Bureau.”

Danford said she wants to participate in another mud run but it will never be one sponsored by Dirty Girl.

Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith is a true gold and blue Mountaineer. She is a graduate of Fairmont Sr. High and West Virginia University’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism.

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Comments

cb

But they use pink as their colors,and advertise it is all for breast cancer. I mean surely a company wouldnt use things like the special pink, and breast cancer to defraud people, and make millions?

July 25, 2014 at 9:59 am |

Jack

It would be great when the participants get there money back, and they will get it back, they donate the entire participation fee to the charity that was only going to get 2 cents on the dollar. Pay it forward...

July 25, 2014 at 8:36 am |

Ray

S

July 25, 2014 at 7:34 am |

John of Wayne

Given the poor BBB rating Dirty Girl has earned in other states, the arrogant position of their leadership, and the inability of registrants to contact the company, I suspect that fraud is an important element of their business plan. As such, this organization needs to suffer the "death penalty".

I notice that corporate sponsors no longer appear on the Dirty Girl web page. This page should be monitored and if they secure new, sponsorship, then such sponsors should be advised of what happened here and that social media will not treat the new sponsors kindly.

Also, I notice that there are upcoming events scheduled in other cities. Perhaps letters to newspaper editors in those cities would dissuade others from cheerfully turning over their money to Dirty Girl.

The best defense is a good offense. Everyone touched by this needs to go to the extreme to drive this company into the ground. Word will get around and perhaps the next professional con artist may think twice about coming here to ply their scams.

July 25, 2014 at 12:09 am |

Randy

I like dirty girls, but I always ended up with angry girls instead. Bummer.

July 24, 2014 at 11:36 pm |

Shawn H

Don't feel bad. The only thing that exists is angry girls.

July 25, 2014 at 7:07 am |

Randy

I've been suspecting that for years.

July 25, 2014 at 8:36 pm |

Free Speech

What happened to the Fat Bottom Girls rebuttal?

July 24, 2014 at 11:22 pm |

mud dauber

If you want to run a great 5k mud run;

Check out 5alarmmudrun.com

the event takes place Aug 30 in Buckhannon. Being put on by the Buckhannon Fire Dept. This is the second annual and it is going to be bigger and muddier. Check out the site, and come on down.

Disclaimer: We will not cancel ours..........

July 24, 2014 at 7:30 pm |

MOCO man

I don't normally side with lawyers because of how they are but I am in Mrs. Dansford's corner on this one. It's a shame such a great event had to be cancelled due to the negligence of Dirty Girl but I hope everyone gets a refund.........it's just the right thing to do.......

July 24, 2014 at 7:02 pm |

LadyLuck

Yeah, because people who have just run a 5k and were about to run another are definitely not doing anything about their fitness.

July 24, 2014 at 4:16 pm |

Jim N Charleston

There is nothing sexier than a girl covered in mud who has just did a 5k.

God Bless America & WV especially.

All I got
I'm Jim N So Charleston
L8

July 24, 2014 at 4:10 pm |

Cigarman

Some are very brave with insults when they can hide behind a pc screen.

July 24, 2014 at 3:56 pm |

Dude

If it wasn't for the mud that would be a normal day in Charleston Big girls everywhere

July 24, 2014 at 3:21 pm |

Laughing

Lol. So true.

July 24, 2014 at 3:45 pm |

cutty77

Big, Bold and Beautiful.

July 24, 2014 at 3:26 pm |

get your money

Call your credit card company and report your transaction as fraud. You will receive a refund & the CC will go after dirty girl for repayment.

July 24, 2014 at 2:44 pm |

Smoke Em

They have a reasonable expectation that their registration will be fulfilled. simply posting "no refunds" on the form will never hold water. They must prove an unforeseen act prevented the event. Default of paying your parent organizational bills is not a valid reason. File a class action law suit.

July 24, 2014 at 2:40 pm |

proud mom

I happen to know ms. Danford and her friends and you can believe me when I say they are gorgeous women, not slobs.